Wing and Wing Zero EW differences?

[Seraphic]

This might be a really stupid question coming from me of all people, but now that the Wing Gundam ver. Ka and the Wing Zero EW are the official designs, I was wondering if they even had a real difference in their frame performance?

For the TV versions, the Wing and WZ had differing frames/armor and it made sense why the WZ was physically stronger and more difficult to destroy. But since the EW versions have the exact same frame (in appearance, at least) do those differences still exist?

My PG manual for the Wing Zero EW says that the WZ frame includes structural attributes that gave rise to the 4 later Gundams, such as strong arms for heavy weapons, strong legs for fencing, powerful main thrusters, and something about the core I haven't made sense of.

So, does the Wing ver. Ka have these same special attributes, or does it just look cosmetically similar and have a less powerful internal structure? Is one still more difficult to destroy than the other?

[Xenosynth]

Well, as far as I've heard, it's best to consider all performance for them analog to one another. Wing EW = Wing TV, Wing Zero EW = Wing Zero TV, but beyond that I've not seen much else go into the subject. For the sake of ease I'd just assume the frames are still different, even if the models and the like show the same inner frame.

[Chris]

The frames have to have at least some level of difference since Wing Zero EW lacks a bird mode.

[Darrien]

Well... there's a little more to this now. Early art for the "Glory of the Losers" manga obviously featured the TV-version Wing Zero, which was quite odd considering the other suits used the EW/Katoki designs. However, Bandai just recently announced the MG Wing Gundam ProtoZero model kit, which appears to just be a Katoki-ized Wing Zero TV version. So, I imagine we'll see this in the manga (and it allows it to keep Bird Mode), and either be upgraded or a new Zero will be built towards the end of the manga... Also, blue and red Twin Buster Rifle, just cause, I guess.

Images of the ProtoZero scans over at the GundamGuy blog... don't know if I'm allowed to post a link here, so just Google it if you don't know it already...

[Arsarcana]

Complete speculation: Proto Zero was the conceptual design all five scientists created. In creating Wing, Doctor J made aesthetic changes based on his own preferences. When Wing Zero is actually built in GotL, we'll see the original design as plans but it will be constructed in the EW form because Quatre combines the technology of Proto Zero (ie the TBR and Zero System) with data from Wing which has actually seen combat and proven its effectiveness. This could even explain why Wing Zero (EW) can't transform: Being designed for use in space, Quatre decided that feature could be omitted. Plus, he wasn't exactly in his right mind at the time which could explain the angelic wings.

Granted, I could be completely off-base, for all I know the (effectively unreadable) scans provide information on the matter.

[Arbiter GUNDAM]

And here it is, the PROTO ZERO and it is glorious.

[Strike Zero]

So... first there was Okawara's Wing Gundam and Wing Zero... Then Katoki redesigned the Wing Zero with angel wings for Endless Waltz, which was followed by his redesigning of the Wing Gundam to bring it closer to the architecture of the Endless Waltz Wing Zero... This Wing Gundam design was used in Glory of the Losers, a retelling of the original Gundam Wing... But now instead of making the transition over to the Endless Waltz Wing Zero, Katoki has instead redesigned the Wing Zero again, this time rendering it as what is essentially a Katoki-fied version of Okawara's original Wing Zero.

Oh, God, my head...

[Bryant Molirse]

Welcome to the newest Retcon lol.

On a personal note,

Why? Why? Why can't anyone ever scan a lineart at a good size when they find it in a magazine? Sorry, photoshopper in me wishing for better quality images without having to buy magazines for one picture. lol

[AmuroNT1]

Better images:
http://bit.ly/16vZUCc
http://bit.ly/16w0wb7

As I've said on other sites, it's still about 90% identical to Okawara's; the main differences are the chest (made to resemble Katoki's), the shoulders (made more even) and the shield (flattened out and given retractable aerofoils).

Strike Zero: It can be summarized a lot more simply than that.
1) Okawara makes Wing and Wing Zero
2) Katoki makes Wing Zero EW
3) Katoki makes Wing Early for the EW laserdisc
4) Glory of the Losers uses the Katoki designs
5) Okawara's Zero is worked into GotL as the prototype for Katoki's

And yet it still makes more sense than Ground Zero's explanation of "Heero just felt like modding Zero".

[Derringer]

Comparison of Wings and Wing Zeros


There's a number of interesting ways they can go about the backstory for this in the GoL manga. The current scans of the Proto Zero are just comments on the design aesthetics for the MG release, with no actual information to go with the fiction.